cruising kirby

Well that is interesting that the Australian website doesn't have anything past last November.  Nothing about the latest delay until August.

14 hours ago, CassCruise said:

OK so my 2cents worth now my money has finally gone into the bank I want to also express my bitter disappointment with Scenic - I too was sucked in by the glossy brochures/video - without going too much into it the likelihood of being able to do this again with my daughter is slim - nothing serious just timing with dd finishing uni, jobs and several other factors etc etc etc  We had planned well in advanced paid the high non refundable deposit 18 months early again etc as others did - whilst you can never say never I with 99.9% certainty will never consider this company in the future.  The fact they were ringing my TA on the Friday (payment was due on the following Tuesday) asking for payment a few days early (thankfully she said she would pay on the due date) - to be honest I find that quite unconsciable.  With their "generous" rebooking option it would have cost me several thousand more for the same cruise - nope not for me customer service attrocious even if it is only now I have received my money.

That is a real "red flag" to me.   Scenic ringing for early payment????  What a ridiculous situation.  I also think it is outrageous that Scenic continue to dupe the unsuspecting public by failing to keep their website updated with current information on the problems with the ship build.  The last update was November 2018, and still has the ship sailing in April 2019.  Not everyone has the benefit of cruise critic to bring "'reality" to them.  I think it is appalling that people may be continuing to book the Eclipse completely unaware of the risks.  

Also depending on  the time of year (eg during the Australian summer) you can't swim in the ocean around Queensland (mainly north Queensland but also the Whitsunday Islands) due to very dangerous jelly fish.  The stings can kill you!  And of course there are the sharks too .............................    Much safer to have caviar in the ship's pool which is exactly where we had it on our recent Bali to Sydney cruise, December 2018.

42 minutes ago, rallydave said:

Thanks kirby, at first wasn't sure what to clear, was on Chrome so I tried IE and voila, cruises came up but, extremely clunky and could not get beyond the lowest suite in any category so tried clearing my cache in Chrome and now it came up too but, the website looked completely different than IE.  Same problem with trying to see a price for a Veranda beyond V1 and still clunky but, very different looking than IE  Couldn't find anything so far that interests me.

Well I can't get anything on explorer so you  are doing better than me!  Chrome gets me basic information but the website really is a disaster.

54 minutes ago, rallydave said:

I am logged in and have tried several ways and all I get is the round and round blue and white circle.  Cannot get back to select the dates for the cruises we want.  Really awful!!

I am not an IT person but I cleared my browser and it seemed to reset things.  I am using chrome.

Australian's booked on  the Scenic Eclipse are getting emails now to advise the ship launch is now delayed until 15 August 2019.

I am no longer booked with Scenic, being one in the initial group of the first round of Eclipse cancellations. However I maintain a passing interest in developments, and noticed this in the Croatia news yesterday..........................................It does not sound convincing at all for an April sailing (apologies for the formatting, it doesn't copy well)

ZAGREB, January 4, 2019 - Economy Minister Darko Horvat and Uljanik shipbuilding group chairman of the board Emil Bulić said on Friday two serious partners were interested in the group and that they were conducting due diligence, with Horvat hopeful that two more partners would express interest by January 25.

Horvat said after a three-hour meeting with the management of Uljanik d.d. that he was optimistic, although he realised an official receiver was appointed today to examine the situation in the 3. Maj dock and submit a report to a judge within 15 days, and that a similar situation awaited the Uljanik dock on January 26. Both docks are part of the Uljanik Group.

Horvat said Italy's Fincantieri and Croatia's DIV, acting together, and Australia's Scenic group, which is already building ships in Uljanik, were currently checking data on the state of affairs in the Uljanik and 3. Maj docks. He hopes that at least one or two concrete financial offers for a strategic partnership within the Uljanik Group will be made by January 25.

He said the group's management, the Economy Ministry and everyone involved were trying to find a solution to prevent 3. Maj from going into bankruptcy, adding that an attempt would be made to prevent Uljanik's bankruptcy too.

Asked by reporters if it was realistic to expect temporary financing until the restructuring programme began, Horvat said 150 million kuna, which would revive both docks, was not too much for Fincantieri-DIV and Scenic. "We'll see after they collect all the relevant information and express their interest through a serious financial offer."

Horvat said a bankruptcy procedure would not mean the closure of the shipyards. He added that he did not want to talk about bankruptcy yet because the two current partners and the two others he expected to access the data room by January 18 could pay 3. Maj's liabilities, which amount of 150 million kuna.

Asked if 3. Maj could be separated from the Uljanik Group, Horvat said both current partners were interested in the group. He said potential partners from Ukraine had informed the Economy Ministry they were interested in both docks, and that he expected partners from China to express interest too.

Responding to a question, he said that since DIV and Fincantieri were acting together, he was sure they were a financially capable strategic partner.

Asked if he had a plan in case there were no strategic partnership offers, he said that, in that event, "the prospects of both shipyards depends only on them."

Uljanik CEO Emil Bulić said after the meeting with Horvat that intensive talks with potential strategic partners were in progress. "In the past few weeks we have been dedicated to intensive talks with potential strategic partners. We have opened a data room, two very interested bidders have accessed the data room, and intensive activities are taking place on a daily basis so that we can make conclusions as soon as possible on binding offers, which are expected by January 25," Bulić said.

At the same time, negotiations are also under way with shipowners so that the construction of their vessels could resume as soon as possible and the stage of completion of the vessels could be increased.

Asked how he would avoid a bankruptcy and how much money he had at his disposal, Bulić said that obligations were huge, while the deadlines for data room use and bid submission were short. "Because our employees and creditors are financially exhausted, we expect shortly a reaction from both potential strategic partners and partners in restructuring, and we expect the state to be that, to jointly secure temporary financing until the adoption of the restructuring programme. After the completion of the procedure, we expect a binding offer and partnership in drafting the restructuring programme. It is realistic to expect the implementation of the programme to begin no sooner than two to three months from today. In the meantime, we are seeking a way to ensure temporary financing, which is key, until the launch of the restructuring programme," Bulić said.

He said that they had also contacted several other potential partners, but they had not confirmed their interest yet. Asked if he thought there was enough time, Bulić said: "There's very little time, but we are doing all we can. This is a period of uncertainty ... but the situation will be much clearer after January 25."

I have been through the Panama Canal a couple of times and it never fails to impress!  Its a shame it was wet early in your journey but it looks like it cleared up later in the day.  Thanks for posting.

2 hours ago, wripro said:

My final payment on the March 22nd crossing was due yesterday but I am not making it. After months of showing availability win all categories it comes up fully booked as do all other cruises until May. Something is going on and they are not communicating with booked passengers. Now it looks like I will have to make other plans.

 

A question. The Deposit protection plan does not return the deposit if you cancel, it on;y allows you to transfer it to another cruise. What about a situation like this where Scenic is obviously canceling the cruise? Shouldn't the deposit be refunded?

Wripro please be careful.  If you booked through a travel agent, call them for advice.  If you booked through Scenic, speak to them.  My concern is if you fail to pay your final on the due date (without Scenic notifying of cancellation at THIS stage), you might be locked into the deposit protection plan terms and conditions.  That is, you would have to transfer that deposit to another cruise, you wouldn't be able to get your deposit back.  Last time, Scenic kept taking final payments when they must have known cancellations were imminent.  Once cancellations were announced, that is when offers of refunds and transfers of deposits to new cruises (with discounts in some cases) were made.  I am also one of those people who are out of pocket after the first cancellation and I have experienced first hand the very poor customer service of Scenic.  Don't fall into the trap of believing they will care about you.  The $ is king to them, not the customer.

The idea that Scenic would take a new ship to one of the remotest places on earth seems implausible to me.  If they do, it will surely come with huge risk.  

I remember being in the Falkland Islands and hearing about an engine fire on a a Ponant ship.  They had to evacuate all passengers to the island and it had insufficient infrastructure to adequately cater for the influx.  Passengers were accommodated in the homes of the locals! If that happens in Antarctica it would be a disaster.  I understand the Ponant situation was blamed on human error but it illustrates how much we rely on seaworthy vessels when in remote areas.

Didn't I read somewhere that Scenic would have the Eclipse in sea trials in December?  If they were on track for that, why hasn't Scenic proudly posted progress on its website to allay the concerns of all booked passengers, and those considering booking?  

I am loving your reports!  2020 can't come soon enough for me to experience Seabourn on this itinerary.

24 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said:

Is there anything to indicate that the problems on Eden are fixed?

Or are they going straight out again with unresolved issues?

No the problems are not fixed.  The next cruise to depart late on 19/10 is a 3 day "cruise to nowhere" so I suspect they will just be floating around at a slow speed!  I think my expectations of P&O were unrealistic based on many of your comments.  I am used to better treatment by the cruiselines I choose!  

1 hour ago, mr walker said:

Clearly an unfortunate experience for the passengers, given what you report are the circumstances. It must be very disappointing for them - clearly they have received less than what they paid for, and now will be late returning.  P&O presumablyy will provide compensation at some point, but just wondering, what you expect P&O to do at this point, other than giving access to phone lines to enable alternate travel plans to be made? 

I would have expected P&O to have taken responsibility for the delay by offering to cover all reasonable costs for the adjustment of travel plans without the need for travel insurance claims.  I also think that any offer of compensation by way of future cruise credit etc should be made known to pax now, to alleviate distress and angst that is apparently rife on the ship.  Pax were supposed to have been given a refund to their on board accounts of the equivalent of 2 days cruise cost, I  assume that has happened. I acknowledge the gesture, but really it isn't sufficient.  A 10 night cruise with just 2 ports instead of 4 is a long way from what passengers paid for.  All those extra seas days were bound to use up on board credit anyway, with drinks and other paid activities.  I know that P&O will be disposing of the Pacific Eden next year, but in the interim, I think it is reasonable for passengers to expect a ship that delivers the itinerary booked, subject to things outside the cruislines control, like weather.

My daughter is on the Pacific Eden with her family and they have had significant mechanical problems with the ship since leaving Sydney on 10/10.    They have missed two of four ports and now look like they will arrive into Sydney late, around 4.00pm instead of 7.00am.

So it has been a debacle with flights having to be re-booked, transfers cancelled and accommodation booked overnight in Sydney.  Hopefully travel insurance will cover most of the additional costs.  However P&O have offered no assistance at all, other than giving passengers access to telephone lines to contact travel agents, airlines etc.  I have been very disappointed in their response, given the delay sits squarely on their shoulders (being caused by mechanical problems, not weather etc).

Is this a common occurance with this ship?

I am sure the Scenic Eclipse is going to be a beautiful ship.  Unfortunately after the way I was treated by Scenic over their cancellation of my cruise, I just can't support them by re-booking.  I have such wonderful, positive experiences with other luxury lines, I am taking my business elsewhere.  All the best to those who are booked on the Eclipse, I think the onboard experience will be very good.  But Scenic really needs to look carefully at its customer recovery processes, they leave much to be desired.  

I am very interested!!!  Looking forward to your reports

Gurantee bookings don't always deliver a great outcome. After a few V1 to V5 free upgrades, we booked a guarantee on a 28 night Caribbean cruise a couple of years ago and got allocated that V2 small balcony cabin next to the Wintergarden Suite. The balcony is so small only one person can use it at a time. We were so disappointed as we use our balcony a lot. In the end we made the best of it (we were on a Seabourn cruise after all), and used the public decks more than we would usually do. It turned out fine, even though I would never select that specific cabin myself.

It looks like the transatlantic has opened up now with plenty of availability

I like the tone of Glen Moroney's email, it doesn't reflect the stale marketing "propaganda" we have seen previously. At least he seems to be honest about the situation. I hope that the video appears on the Scenic website soon so that everyone has a better understanding of where the construction of Eclipse 1 is at.

Scenic did not allow its reservation agents to tell the truth about the initial delay, or they deliberately didn't pass the information to them within the organisation. I rang two weeks before my cruise was cancelled and was advised everything was on track. At that stage management would definately have known they couldn't deliver on the cruises in 2018.

If the discount is indeed small, perhaps forfeit it and hang on to your cash? Final payment for my late March Eclipse 1 cruise is late November...

Good advice. I paid in full for my Scenic cruise to secure the early payment discount, and my cruise didn't go ahead. Scenic wouldn't consider the lost interest, had I kept my $'s and not paid until the final due date.

I wonder what the legal advice would be in a situation where Scenic continues to take $'s from people, knowing that the cruises are unlikely to proceed due to delays with the ship?

I think the real problem is Eclipse 2. Scenic has already taken delivery of Eclipse 1 and is now using a construction team it hired itself (directly) to finish the yacht - so the shipyard’s situation doesn’t materially impact Eclipse 1 any more. Eclipse 2 however is a different story. Scenic would be mad to start construction at a shipyard that’s borderline bankrupt and securing a new shipyard on short notice won’t be easy. I think there’s no way Eclipse 2 will launch on time.

 

Floris

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Floris, what puzzles me about this situation is that if Scenic has ownership of Eclipse 1, has its own construction team etc, and is on track to deliver on the new date, why don't they let EVERYONE know that? ie why are they not writing out to everyone who has a current booking to advise the facts, and why aren't they updating their website. Surely the ownership of their yacht and negotiation of their own construction team is an achievement they would want to share? It would go a long way to alleviate the concerns everyone has.

It is of significant concern that Scenic is failing to keep booked passengers (and potential passengers) updated on the progress of construction on the Scenic Eclipse. Without the facts, speculation and rumour fill the void. What on earth are the marketing people at Scenic thinking??????

Excuse my ignorance, does the Carnival stock OBC apply even if Seabourn offers OBC as part of the fare deal? (like many of the current Seabourn promotions?)

BL does have it's own transportation that you book on their website. If you don't have a rental car that's the best/cheapest way to do this.

 

 

Taxi would be more direct and at your own timing, but very expensive.

Ah yes, thank you! The BL transportation seems to be the best way for us.